John Toren Boeken

This collection takes its title from the introductory essay, in which the author describes the house where he and his wife, Hilary, have lived for more than thirty years, near a parkland corridor running for several miles on the western edge of Minneapolis. The essays that follow describe day-to-day events at home―the seasons, the sky, the garden, the passing deer, the trees, the birds, and the sounds of the night―and forays into town to farmers' markets, galleries, parks, and cafe's. A few depict ventures farther afield to the bluff country or the north woods. Books also figure prominently in a few pieces, as do social events and the preparing and eating of food―especially vegetables. It's just one more way of letting the outside in.